This invention relates to an iron type golf club head.
For wood type golf club heads, various kinds of materials have generally been used. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,181,306 and 4,204,684, many kinds of materials such as wood, synthetic resin, and metal are used.
However, with regard to an iron type golf club head, the use of light metal or synthetic resin for a major part of the club head has been considered difficult because of a limitation on the strength inherent in the configuration and size specific to the iron type club head and, therefore, mild steel or stainless steel has solely been used.
On the other hand, a well-known procedure is to increase the moment of inertia by embedding weight inserts into the wood type club head as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,684.
However, the use of weight inserts, such as those made of lead, into the iron type club head made of mild steel or stainless steel as described above increases the weight of the club head and makes swinging of the golf club difficult.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an iron type golf club head easy to swing for physically weak players while maintaining sufficient strength of the club head as well as the moment of inertia around the center of gravity of the club head at the same approximate level as that of a conventional one and, further, reducing the weight of the club head.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an iron type golf club head to decrease the deviation angle of a golf ball which is mishit, that is, a ball which hits on a spot other than the so-called sweet spot of the club head, and the drop of initial speed of the golf ball while maintaining the weight of the club at the same approximate level as that of a conventional one but increasing the moment of inertia around the center of gravity.
Other object, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following description.
According to the present invention, there is provided an iron type golf club head comprising a composite material which is made of light metal containing silicon carbide whiskers and occupies 20% or more by volume of the body of the club head.
The present invention further provides an iron type golf club head comprising a composite material which is made of synthetic resin containing silicon carbide whiskers and occupies 20% or more by volume of the body of the club head.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an iron type club head comprising a composite material which is made of light metal containing silicon carbide whiskers and occupies 20% or more by volume of the body of the club head so that the weight of the club head is reduced by 10 to 60% so as to be lighter than a club head made entirely of steel and having the same configuration and size as those of the aforesaid club head with the condition that the moment of inertia of one club head is maintained at approximately the same degree as that of the other.
Still further, the present invention provides an iron type golf club head comprising a composite material which is made of synthetic resin containing silicon carbide whiskers and occupies 20% or more by volume of the body of the club head so that the weight of the club head is reduced by 10 to 60% to be lighter than a club head made entirely of steel and having the same configuration and size with the condition that the moment of inertia of one club head is maintained at approximately the same degree as that of the other.
Further, the present invention provides an iron type golf club head comprising a composite material which is made of light metal containing silicon carbide whiskers and forms a major part of the club head, provided with metal weight inserts each having a specific gravity greater than that of steel and embedded into portions lying apart from the center of gravity of the club head and on the toe side as well as on the heel side thereof, and adapted to possess the increased moment of inertia around the center of gravity with the condition that the configuration, size, and weight of the above club head are identical with those of a club head made entirely of steel.
The present invention still further provides an iron type golf club head comprising a composite material which is made of synthetic resin containing silicon carbide whiskers and forms a major part of the club head, provided with metal weight inserts each having a specific gravity greater than that of steel and embedded into portions lying apart from the center of gravity of the club head and on the toe side as well as on the heel side thereof, and adapted to possess the increased moment of inertia around the center of gravity with the condition that the configuration, size, and weight are identical with those of a club head made entirely of steel.